Oven-heat-control device



E. L. CLAUS ET AL OVEN HEAT CONTROL DEVICE Filed March 18, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 waLterE'. Caws Jan, 6. 1925. 1,521,868

E. L. CLAUS ET AL 0VEN HEAI' CONTROL DEVICE Filed March 18 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet -2 Patented Jan. 6, 1925.

-. UNITED STATES OFFICE.

EMIL L. CLAUS AND WALTER E. CLAUS, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

OVEN-HEAT-CO'NTROL DEVICE.

Application filed March 18, 1921. erial No. 458,453.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EMIL L. CLAUs and WALTER E. CLAUS, both citizens .of the United States, and residents of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oven-Heat-Control Devices; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descripceeds, our lnvention resides in the novel contion thereof. y This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in ovens, and refers more particularly to thermostatic means for regulating the heat thereof. 1

The present devices of this character now in use contain many objectionable features, one objection being that the mechanism is bulky and expensive to produce and apply to ovens. 7

Hence with the above objection in mind, this invention has for one of its objects to provide an oven temperature regulating device in which all the parts thereof are combined into a unitary device capable of application to an oven of any design or construction with but a relatively sniall amount of effort.

Another objection -to the existing types of oven temperature regulating devices is the inability of the operator to .view the temperature setting dial without stooping in front of the oven subjectin the operators face and arms to the osslbility of being burned by the heat of t e stove. With this in mind, this invention has for another of its objects to provide an improved type of dial so constructed and arranged as to permit ready visibility Without any effort whatsoever upon the part of the operator.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the class described in which the thermally actuated member is directly connected with the fuel control valve to thus eliminate all unnecessary friction and to insure positive operation.

A still further object of this invention is rovide a device of the class described, which is so designed and constructed as to permit its. application toan oven in any position and at the same time have the indicating dial arranged to permit ready reading of the dial.

A still further ob'ect of this invention is to provide a dial or indicating the temperature at which the device is set, which dial has two sets of delineations thereon, one

set designating degrees of temperature, and another set representing the special uses for which the oven is adapted at the various degrees, and double pointer or indicating means simultaneouslyaligning with any one of the degrees and with the corresponding delineation of the other set.

With the above and other objects in, view which will appear as the description prostruction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described structed according to the best mode we have so far devised for the practical application I of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of one side of an oven illustrating our invention as applied thereto:

Figure. 2 is a top plan view of our device illustrating the oven wall as in section .on the plane of line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure .3 is a view looking at the inner side of the device, said view being taken-on the plane of line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view part in section and part in elevation taken transversely through the device on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, and

Figure 5 is a view part in section and part in elevation taken through the setting means for the device on the plane of the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 6 designates the heating oven of a range or stove'which is provided with a fuel supply pi e 7 to the improved control device to be hereinafter described. The burners 9 illustrated by dotted lines in Figure 1, of the oven are directly connected with a pipe 8 and each burner has an individual valve 9, but one being shown, and one end of the stringer 1 Pipe is preferably closed and the other end The port is preferably tapered to form a a seat for a valve 18, the stem 19 of which extends outwardly of the valve body 11 through a bore 20 in the cap 17. The cap 17 has its inner end or threaded boss 21 counterbored, as at 22 and internally threaded to provide a packing or stug box surrounding the valve stem, the packing withpreferably 1 JACF .i, M. 3, fig or tliil tglal; degrees in enpansibihty fused in the recess being retained in position by a centrally bored plug 23. With this construction, the area surrounding the parts passing outwardly from the valve interior.

is reduced to a minimum and the possibility of leakage is eliminated by the arrangement illustrated in Figure 4. With this construction, but one chucking up of the body in a lathe is required in the. machining of the device by reason of the bore 16 and port 15 being concentric,

, The end ofthe body 11 surroundmgthe bore 16 is laterally flanged as at 24; to provide means for securing the device to the wall 6' of the oven. When the deviceis to be attached to an oven, the wall 8 thereof is cut away as at 25, at the point where it is desired to have the device positioned and the valve body 11 is clam d to the wall. by fastening bolts 26 w ich pass through apertures in the flange 24:, through apertures in wall 6 and through a bracket member 27, a plate 28 being secured between the wall 6' and the flange 24k to serve as a washer and to also provide means for mounting the setting device, to be hereinafter described.

The bracket member 2'? is provided with two laterally extending, diametrically opposed arms 29 and 30, the arm 29 having a lug or projection 31 i'ormed at'its outen end, and the armBO has a centrally bored internally threaded lug or projection 32 through which is projected the inner end of a threaded setting screw 33, which entends outwardly through an aperture 34: in the oven wall 6. The extreme inner end of the screw 33- is cut away or reduced, as at 35, to permit the attachment thereto of one end or" a strip of material 3-6 which is sensitive to temperature changes, the other end of said strip being made last to the projection 31 by a screw 3?.

' The member or strip of material 36 is rmed of two layers of metals nuances or welded together so that when both ends of the member are rigidly held, as they are in the present instance, the same will be bowed when subjected to heat as one metal comprising the same has a higher coeficient of expansion than the other. The bracket member 27 is also centrally apertured, as at 38, to accommodate the head of the cap 17 and the inner end 39 of the valve 19 is threaded and asses into the interior of the oven throng said aperture. The member 36 has a central aperture 493 through which end 39 of the valve stem passes and said member is adjustably cured to' the valve stem by knurled nuts and 42 mounted on the threaded end 39 and engaging the opposite sides thereof, By this construction, any flexing of the member 36, due to the expansion thereof as hereinbefore stated, will be transmitted the valve 18, however slight. In the pres ent embodiment, the side of the member formed of the material having the hig er coefficient of expansion is disposed adja at the wall 6' so that upon expansion the medial portion of said member will be bowed toward the wall to move the valve to closing position. However it will be readily 'appreciatedthat this action may be reversed according to the design of the control valve y In order to prevent the member 36 from moving the valve 18 to completely close port '15, and consequently extinguish the burners (not shown), wall 43 or" the body 11 is apertured and internally threaded as at M, concentric with the port 15-, to receive an ad justable set screw or plug 415 with which the inner end or tip 46 of the valve member 18 is engageable, see Fi ure 4. As will be readily appreciated, the plug 45 may be readily ad justed to vary the minimum burning of the burner or burners;

The plate 28 has its outer end 47 extended to register with the point of exit through the wall 6 of the adjusting screw 33 and two laterally directed flanges 48, set at stantially right angles with respect to each other, but at an angle with respect to the perpendicular. A dial 49 is secured to tin uppermost flange by fastenings 50, having delineations 51, representing various degrees of temperature on one edge and delineations 52 representing various conditions for which the oven is adapted at the diderent degrees set forth by the delineations on the other edge, the corresponding delineations oi dial being so arranged that the arms 53 and 5 oi an indicator 55, which is medially pivoted to the dial as at 56, will simultaneously align with the corresponding delineations 51 and 52. Tn other words, when end 53 is in register with the 200 de mark, the end 54 will be in register with corresponding delineation 52, lilfarmfi lid lowermost flange 48 is utilized in the event the device is placed on the other side of the oven when it will then be topmost, or in the event the device be placed perpendicularly on the oven, instead of horizontally, as illustrated in Figure 1.

The indicator 55 carries a pin 57 to one side of its pivot 56, which is engaged within the annular groove 58 of an adjusting nut 59 threaded on the screw 33, said nut being made fast to the screw in its adjusted position by locking means 60. When the screw 33 is moved into the oven by turning its knob 61, the end of the member 36 carried thereby will be moved away from the bracket member 27 and carry with it the valve member 18. lrVith theadjusting of the member 36, the indicator 55 is moved on its pivot to swing its ends 53 and 54 adjacent the designations on the dial corresponding with the setting of the member 36.. For instance, if the operator desires to bake bread, the head 61 of the screw 33 is rotated to swing the pointer 54 into alignment w1th the designation Bread, and at the same time align the pointer 53 with the designation 400, which is the desired temperature for baking bread.

Our improved device is capable of application to any type of oven and after the same has been secured in place, a thermometer is placed within the oven and the burners lit. Should the oven temperature on the thermometer read 500, the set screw 60 is loosenedand the nut 59 adjusted to have the pointer 53 register with designation 500 of the dial, when the nut is made fast to the rod 33. The nuts 41 and 42 also provide another manner of adjusting the device and prior to the setting of the indicator, said nuts'are approximately set.

The bracket member 27 has several sets of apertures for receiving the fastening bolts 26. From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be at once apparent to those skilled in the art to which an invention of this character appertains that we have provided an improved device for rugulating the temperature of an oven which may be applied to ovens in use or to ovens at the time of their manufacture and which may be readily applied to ovens in any position most convenient to the operator.

WVhat we claim as our invention is 1. In a thermally controlled device, a member sensitive to temperature changes, means securing the ends of said member against lateral and longitudinal movement whereby the same bows when heated, a heater controlling means engageable with ."said member at a medial point and operable to decrease the heat given offby a heater connected therewith when the member is heated to a predetermined degree and to increase the heat given Ofi by the heater when the temperature of said member falls below a predetermined degree, and means for adjusting the means securing one end of said member whereby to regulate the degree of heat at which the temperature sensitive member actuates the heater controlling means.

2. In an oven heat control device, a bracket member adapted to be positioned within an oven, opposed projections on said bracket member, a thermally actuated member adapted to bridge the projections, means connecting the ends of said member with the bracket member projections whereby the medial portion of said member is spaced from the bracket member and bows when subjected to the influence of heat, and a control member for regulating a heater for the oven having a stem connected with said thermally actuated member medially of said projections.

a 3. In an oven heat control device, a bracket member adapted to be positioned within an oven, opposed projections on said bracket member, a thermally actuated member having its ends secured to said projections, a valve member for controlling the flow of fuel to a burner for heating the oven and including a stem, and means for adjustably securing said stem to the thermally actuated member medially ofits ends.

4. In a thermo-control device, a bimetallic member sensitive to temperature changes, a supporting member, means securing the ends of said member to the support with its medial portion spaced therefrom whereby said member bows when influenced by heat, an oven heat control member, and means adjustably connecting said oven heat control member with said bi-metallic member medially of its ends.

5. In a thermally controlled device, a member sensitive to temperature changes, means rigidly securing one end of the member, a post, means securing the other end of said member to the post, said first mentioned means and post securing the tem-' perature change sensitive member and restricting longitudinal expansion thereof whereby the same bows when heated, a heat controlling means connected with said member at an intermediate point, whereby bowing of the member under temperature changes actuates the heat controlling means, and means for adjusting the post to regulate the temperature at which the device is maintained.

6. A device for maintaining the temperature of a chamber substantially constant, comprising a member sensitive to temperature changes, means for mounting the member in the chamber and including securing means engageable with one end of the member and a post passed-into the chamber and engaging the other end of said member, a heat controlling means connected With said member, at an intermediate point and adapt-v ed to be actuated by bowing of said member under temperature changes to maintain the chamber at a substantially constant temperature, and means for moving the post into and out of the chamber to adjust the end of said member connected therewith and regulate the temperature at Which it is desired to maintain the chamber.

'5. A device for maintainin the temperature of a chamber substantially constant, comprising a member sensitive to temperature changes, means for mounting the member in the chamber and includin securing means engageable with one end ot the memher and a threaded post adjustably assed through the Wall of the chamber an havneeieee ing the other end of said member secured thereto, a heater fer the chamber, and a controlling means for the heater connected with said member at an intermediate pcint and adapted to be actuated by bowing said member under temperature changes tc maintain the chamber at a substantiaity constant temperature, the adjustment of the post in the chamber carrying the end at the member connected therewith to regulate temperature at which the chamber is maintained.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands at Mit- Waukee, in the GOHIltY of Miiwauhee State of Wisconsin.

Eh/HL L. OLA-1U S. WALTER GLAUS. 

